International Peanut Butter Cookies

We haven't been "home" in over a year, so our lockers are filled with an international blend of foodstuffs. We are planning a visit home soon and we need to use up the perishables because the refrigeration will be turned off while we are gone. One of the items in the freezer is 3 lbs. of butter. I know that sounds like a lot, but in some countries it was hard to find, so I stocked up.

I've been thinking of ways to use up the butter and decided cookies would be good, so today while rolling downwind from Virgin Gorda to Tortola, I made peanut butter cookies. The butter cane from England via Antigua; the white sugar came from Cartagena; the brown sugar came from Dominica; the eggs came from Virgin Gorda; the peanut butter came from America via Antigua; the vanilla came from Mexico, and the flour came from Bequia.

INTERNATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 

1 stick (1/4 lb, 4 oz, 1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Extra white sugar

Cream butter and sugars. Add peanut butter and mix well. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Combine flour and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add to first mixture. Combine thoroughly. Chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350°. Form dough into 1" balls. Roll in extra sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie a bit with a fork creating an "X" on top. Bake for 10 minutes for a chewy cookie, 12 for a crispy cookie. Makes 36.